All women who live long enough go through it: Change of Life, Climacteric, Perimenopause
Menopause

Unless they're on The Pill or other hormonal regulating of menses, most women begin to have irregular menstrual periods to signal the change, but I had a partial hysterectomy in 1974 (uterus only --- I still have my ovaries) so I haven't had any menstrual flow since then.

In 1995 I went through what I finally decided was clinical depression but I didn't connect it with menopause [and neither did my mother] because I thought I was too young!

I'm 47, born in 1951. It wasn't until I started having frequent hot flashes that I realized the change had begun. I've also experienced most of the other typical symptoms. They are generally unpredictable in frequency and degree.

Some other places to find information and support

Symptoms of Menopause include but are not limited to:

• conditions commonly associated with PMS
• crawly skin
• decrease in sexual desire
• depression
• difficulty in concentrating
• early wakening
• extreme sweating, often followed by chills
• frequent urination
• headaches
• hot flashes
• insomnia
• irregular menstrual periods
• irritability and crankiness
• joint pains
• lower back aches
• memory lapses
• night sweats which waken you
• painful intercourse
• tiredness or exhaustion
• vaginal dryness

Some women experience only a few of these. Some women (very few) have none of them.

If you're experiencing some of these symptoms, You're not alone!

You might feel like you're going crazy. You might be afraid you've got some terrible disease. People (even your doctor) might think you're a hypochondriac with imaginary symptoms. Since some "terrible diseases" exhibit some of these symptoms, you should make sure that you don't actually have one, but if you're forty-something you might already be menopausal. And if you are, I can assure you that you'll feel better for realizing it.

How I'm dealing with hot flashes

Some other places to find information and support

go to WebCatt | Amy's Attic